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Iran has repeatedly denied ever having sought to build a nuclear bomb.

Despite having nuclear technology, Iran has never pursued building or using nuclear weapons, which its religion forbids, the country's highest political authority, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on Wednesday.

"Building and stockpiling nuclear bombs is wrong and using it is haram (religiously forbidden) ... Although we have nuclear technology, Iran has firmly avoided it," State TV quoted him as saying.

Iran has repeatedly denied ever having sought to build a nuclear bomb.

A landmark 2015 deal that put curbs on Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief has been on life support since May last year when US President Donald Trump withdrew the US from it and reimposed sanctions.

The remaining parties to the deal with Iran — Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia — have tried to salvage the accord, but Tehran has repeatedly accused Europe of not doing enough.